Clovis, CA — Trudy Bird, LPC, of Three Rivers, earned the prestigious Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credential conferred by the Association for Play Therapy (APT), according to its executive director Bill Burns.

Bird is a Licensed Professional Counselor.

To become a Registered Play Therapist, applicants must have earned a traditional masters or doctoral mental health degree from an institution of higher education, 150 clock hours of play therapy training, two years and 2,000 hours of clinical experience, 500 hours of supervised play therapy experience, and be licensed or certified by their state boards of practice.

Play therapy continues to gain popularity as an effective modality by which licensed mental health professionals use developmentally appropriate play therapy theories and techniques to better communicate with and help clients, especially children.

APT is a national professional society formed in 1982 to advance the field of play therapy. It sponsors research, training, and credentialing programs to assist the professional development of its nearly 6,000 member psychologists, social workers, counselors, and marriage and family therapists in more than 25 nations. Additional information is available at www.a4pt.org.

Play Therapy is a mental health modality used when developmentally appropriate by licensed mental health professionals to better communicate with and help clients achieve optimal mental health. It is particularly effective with children because, just as adults use words to communicate ideas and feelings, children use play. Visit the About Play Therapy section of the APT website.

The Association for Play Therapy (APT) is a national professional society formed in 1982 to advance the play therapy modality and serve the research, training, and credentialing needs of its member counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, and social workers. Licensed mental health professionals may earn and maintain its Registered Play Therapist (RPT) and Supervisor (RPT-S) credentials. Visit the APT website.